


good things don't happen to heroes

by Anonymous



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Dream Smp, GHOSTBUR SOOT, Gen, Tags will be updated as I go along, im so sorry i have no proper tags for this, no beta we die like schlatt and have a fucking stroke, tommy anarchy arc, uhh tommy anarchist anyone? yeah
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:21:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27795268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: "The thing about this world, Tommy, is that good things don't happen to heroes."Tommy is tired of being restricted, constantly on the edge of being exiled. He knows maybe he should just shut his mouth and move on, and maybe it would get better, but that really just isn't his style.He wonders about Technoblade. Anarchy with his older brother doesn't sound too bad anymore.
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & TommyInnit
Comments: 42
Kudos: 541
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is because of today's stream when tommy got in trouble for what he and ranboo did lmao im just taking the reins here and giving tommy the anarchist arc he NEEDS, i hope yall enjoy

_ “Do you think you’re a hero, Tommy?” Technoblade’s tired blue eyes pierced into Tommy, practically looking into the teen’s soul.  _

_ “Technoblade, don’t do this.” Tommy’s mouth was dry. _

_ “If you really want to be a hero - then die like one!” _

* * *

Tommy thinks about that day a lot. 

To be fair, it hadn’t happened that long ago - New L’Manberg was fairly, well,  _ new _ _,_ the government only being properly formed a few months ago. Since then, things had quieted down as efforts were focused on rebuilding the former nation back to glory. It looked quite nice nowadays, even if there were still some things to get done. 

But those words - that whole speech, really, about Theseus - has been running over and over in Tommy’s mind every single day since that war. He doesn’t really want to think about it. His brother, someone he looked up to, had betrayed everyone, and made a stupid fucking speech about heroes and Greek legends that Tommy didn’t even understand, before proceeding to absolutely fuck everything up. 

(Even though he did understand, he isn’t as stupid as everyone thinks he is) 

He’s thinking about that day now, too, as he sits alone in his house. Today had been interesting, to say the least. There was an international fucking incident because of what he and that new kid, Ranboo, did to George’s house. It was just supposed to be a prank! It was supposed to be a prank, and everyone else did things like that all the time to each other. Tommy didn’t understand why it has to be a big deal - sure, maybe he shouldn’t have done it and he  _ does _ feel guilty, and sure, George had a right to be upset! But it shouldn’t have been a whole fucking thing. 

(Even though he does have a suspicion, he saw the way Dream would imperceptibly lift his mask up just enough to send a smirk Tommy’s way after the court proceedings)   


(He knows Dream is just trying to manipulate Tubbo into exiling him) 

(Tommy has a thought in the back of his mind - maybe he should leave anyway, save them the trouble)

And as Tommy thinks back to that day, when Technoblade told him about Theseus, how he was a fucking  _ hero _ but was still cast out - was his brother trying to tell him something? Was his brother trying to warn him, in his own strange way?   


Maybe. 

Tommy didn’t really care either way. 

He grumbles to himself, getting up and ignoring the way his muscles hissed in protest, all asleep and sore from being in the same position for too long. He might as well force himself to get some sleep, get rid of those thoughts. 

(He doesn’t sleep very well) 

* * *

It had been one hell of a week. 

“Can you stop fuckin’ bothering me?” Tommy spits, shoving past a disgruntled Fundy, ignoring the other’s indignant squawk. 

“Tommy, you’re supposed to be  _ reporting _ to me, writing a log of what you’re doing everyday-”

“I’m not doing anything!” the teen huffed, stopping in his stride to turn on his heel, throwing his arms up into the air. “All I’ve been doing is just walking around today, it’s not like I have any cabinet duties to attend to. Y’know, since those were _taken away_ from me. I'm hardly a vice president anymore."   


“They wouldn’t have been taken away if you ever stopped to think about your actions,” Fundy retorted, crossing his arms. 

Tommy could feel the burn of his face getting redder by the second. “It was just a prank, how was I supposed to know Dream would get so fuckin’ angry about it- you know, he’s only mad about it because George is his boyfriend-”

And he knows he struck a nerve on that last statement when Fundy’s expression darkens considerably, and he remembers suddenly that,  _ right, Fundy and Dream were apparently engaged _ , and the fox hybrid had more than a few negative feelings regarding Dream and George’s less than subtle relationship. Tommy has the mind to feel guilt, almost opening his mouth again to apologize, when Fundy speaks again. 

“Fine, get in trouble on your own. I’m trying to help you out here, but if you’d rather I leave you alone,” Fundy says, words clipped as he turns away, “then that’s fine. Have fun.”   


And Tommy is left alone in the middle of New L’Manberg, hands clenched into fists. 

(He wonders if Tubbo will get mad at him later, when he finds out Tommy didn’t report anything about his day)   


(Tubbo was mad a lot, lately)   


* * *

Tommy, unfortunately, gets in trouble again.   


He isn't good at staying _out_ of it, frankly.

“Tommy,” Tubbo starts, carding a hand through his fluffy brown hair. He’s frowning - he looks disappointed. “Tommy, what did you do this time.”

Despite there being no room for arguments in Tubbo’s tone, Tommy tries to bluster his way through a poorly worded lie anyway. “Big T, c’mon, I didn’t do anything, I swear, really-”   


“Tommy, shut up,” his friend - his president, snaps quickly, then grimaces. “... Sorry, but, Tommy. Really. Dream is sending me messages again, saying he wants another meeting, what the hell did you do?”

Tommy averts his gaze. He can’t look Tubbo in the eyes right now. He knows that he fucked up again, and he’s just causing more trouble for no reason, and he was already on probation anyways. He’s awful at defending himself anyways. 

“Stole some of Sapnap’s shit,” Tommy explains, rubbing the back of his neck. “And burned it.”

He looks at Tubbo and immediately regrets it. His friend is so, so tired - he looked tired all the time. He’s well aware of the responsibility and pressure that got so suddenly placed on his friend’s shoulders. 

(Responsibility, that in all fairness, should have belonged to Tommy)

“Tommy,” Tubbo says, quietly. “I’m on your side, I swear it. Okay? And I’m trying to keep you out of trouble here, but you don’t make it easy.”   


Those words remind Tommy painfully of several similar conversations with Wilbur. 

He shifts his stance, crossing his arms. 

“I know, Tubbo, but-”   


“Stop. Just- stop.” Tubbo sighed. “Do  _ not _ talk during that meeting. At all. If you do, then it’ll go to hell and I reckon Dream will  _ make _ me exile you this time, for sure.”

Tommy grits his teeth. He knows Tubbo is right. 

“Okay, big man,” he says, instead of arguing. 

* * *

To his credit, Tommy didn’t say a word during the meeting, even if Dream’s smug, honeyed words were enough to make him shake with rage. 

He  _ really _ wanted to punch out the guy’s lights. 

(Unfortunately, he held himself back)

* * *

Tommy is on house arrest now. He couldn’t even be in  _ his _ house - he had to stay in L’Manberg! He got to stay with Phil, at least, so that was a plus. The man was his  _ father _ for fucks sake, so it wasn’t horrible or anything.

(Even if Tommy had mixed feelings about Phil)   


The problem was that there wasn’t anything to do. His fingers itched, itched to do anything. Whether it be grab a sword, pick some fucking flowers, just  _ anything. _ It’d be better than lounging on this shitty couch, alone with his thoughts. 

At least they let him lug his jukebox here, so he could play his discs for background noise. Mellohi was always nice. 

So Tommy sits there, listening to the music - a little warped, he notices, from the damage that has been done to it over the years - humming along to it. Thinking. Thinking. Thinking. 

Not for the first time, he wonders what it would be like to team with Technoblade. He isn’t particularly inclined to go looking for his brother, who had dropped off the face of the earth after the last war. He still hasn’t forgiven Techno for anything he did. 

But at the same time.

Well, at the same time, Tommy could do whatever he wanted if he teamed with Technoblade. 

The man was an anarchist, after all. It was his only true ideal. 

(Not even family could change that.)

But the catch was, if Tommy left L’Manberg, he could never come back. He would effectively be resigning from his -  _ honorary, really _ \- position as Vice President, and there was a good chance he wouldn’t even be able to step foot in the country. He’d also be giving into what Dream wants; getting rid of him. 

_ But, _ Tommy also considers,  _ Dream wouldn’t be happy about it if it means he would be fucking with shit however he wants. _

Technoblade wouldn’t stop him. Actually, Technoblade would probably encourage him, based on he had fucking encouraged Wilbur with the TNT. 

Tommy blinks, realizing that Mellohi had stopped playing, finally reaching the end. He got up from the couch, still thinking about Technoblade, as he goes to reset the song. 

He’s only considering it. He’s not going to immediately seek out his brother; he doesn’t even know where he went!

(Though, Tommy is pretty sure  _ Phil _ knows.) 

* * *

“Hey, Phil?”

“Yeah, Tommy?”

“What's Technoblade up to these days?" 

A splutter, then coughing. “Uh- Why do you wanna know?”   


“Just wonderin’, big man, just wonderin’.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have never done an actual proper multi chaptered story so i hope so badly that this will be enjoyed! yall tell me what you think please and ill try to get a second chapter up soon, of which we will actually be seeing the blade himself in i believe


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy has a chat with his older brother, the ghost of New L'Manberg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i said i was gonna have technoblade be in this chapter but listen,, i had a good idea of this convo okay,, ghostbur soot everybody

_ “What’s Technoblade up to these days?” Tommy asks nonchalantly, purposely keeping his gaze off of Phil as he stabs at his dinner with a fork. _

_ Phil, in the middle of taking a drink of water, begins coughing and pounds on his chest. “Uh- why do you want to know?”   
_

_ Tommy shrugs, chewing his food thoughtfully. “Just wonderin’, big man, just wonderin’,” he eventually says. _

* * *

Tommy is a pretty smart guy, if he says so himself. Which, for the record, he does. 

He’s not just inflating his ego, either - he can be pretty damn brilliant! He  _ is _ rather reckless and impulsive, he’s all too aware after being told as much a few too many times, but he isn’t dumb. There was a reason why he was Wilbur’s right hand man for so long, before- Well. 

He shakes  _ those _ thoughts out of his head. 

Regardless, Tommy is smart and can be quite clever sometimes. After all, that little prank on George was the perfect crime! Besides the part where he got caught. The details don’t matter. 

Tommy’s smart enough that he knows to wait until long after midnight, when it’s the early hours of the morning, to open a window and quietly sneak out of the house. Any later, and he'd possibly be caught by Phil the early-riser of the family; any earlier, though, he’d accidentally wake his father out of his not-quite-yet deep sleep. Tommy takes a quick glance above, smiling at the stars speckled across the night sky. He’s always quite liked watching the sky, especially sunsets. But, now wasn’t the time. Big man has a goal for tonight!

The teenager creeps across New L’Manberg, making his way to that watermill that was built in the beginning. There was an entrance to the sewers in there, and in the sewers was an entrance to a library. Or, rather,  _ Wilbur’s _ library. 

It’s odd, Tommy thinks, having Wilbur still around. The man was a ghost that hardly remembered anything, sure, but it was still strange. The ghost was sort of like a version of his brother before everything went to shit. 

Tommy didn’t like to see him often. 

And yet, here he is, prying the grate off of the entrance to the sewers and making his way down. He dusts himself off, taking a moment to take a deep breath, then walks the rest of the way down. He doesn’t give himself another moment of rest before knocking swiftly on the library’s door, cringing at how loud his knuckles sound against the spruce wood. 

It takes a moment for the door to swing open, but it does, and Wilbur peers out, eyes lighting up at the sight of Tommy. 

“Tommy!” the ghost cries, grinning widely. “What brings you to visit me?”   


Tommy smiles back, a touch nervous. “Just wanted to ask you some things, Will.”   


“Well come in, come in, sit in the good chair- I’m a ghost, you know, I don’t need to sit,” Wilbur rambles on, drifting farther into the room. “It’s good to see you, Tommy, it really is.”

The sincerity in Will’s voice catches Tommy off guard and he sways in place in the doorway, trying not to frown. It’s been so long since Wilbur was like  _ this _ . Genuinely nice, happy to just fucking see him. It just makes the gap between the old Wilbur and the one Tommy saw before he died even wider. He really hates, to be honest.

Tommy realizes he’s been standing silently for a moment too long, head snapping up to catch the ghost staring at him with a confused, yet almost absent, expression. He blushes in embarrassment, feeling his cheeks burn as he hurries to the ‘good chair’ as Wilbur calls it. He sits down, smiling awkwardly. 

“What did you want to talk about, Tommy?” Wilbur asks kindly. He crosses his legs, now sitting in a sort of scrunched up position just in the air. Despite the grayed skin and hair, Tommy sometimes forgets Will was a  _ ghost _ and it gives him a headache everytime he does something like that. 

“Well…,” Tommy starts, then stops, frowning. He isn’t really sure how to go about explaining. “Wilbur, do you know what’s been going on as of late?” 

“Can’t say that I do!”

“Okay, well… you don’t remember much before you died, right?”   


“I remember some stuff,” Wilbur says, shrugging. “Like how dear old dad killed me with my sword, but not much else.”

Tommy stiffens, eyeing his brother’s expression, waiting for a hint of anger. But there’s nothing to suggest the other was angry at all. Wilbur was disturbingly nonchalant, as if he didn’t even care that Phil had been the one to kill him. 

Tommy isn’t sure how to feel about that. 

“Right,” the teenager eventually replies, uncertain. “Well, Wilbur, I was just- I was wondering…”   


The ghost let out a laugh. “Get on with it, Tommy. I have all day but I imagine you might not.”   


“I just don’t know how to word it,” Tommy mumbles, feeling his face burn again, before raising his voice. “Well, the thing is, I got in trouble recently. I might have to leave  New L’Manberg.”    


Wilbur shakes his head as if disappointed - disappointment that was so, so familiar to Tommy - and clicks his tongue. “Oh, Tommy, you gremlin child-”   


“Hey, I’m not a child!”   


“Hush. It’s not very surprising you got in trouble, you have a knack for that. Why would you have to leave, though? Can’t be  _ that _ bad.”   


Wilbur’s voice is hollow with curiosity and genuine ignorance, and it makes Tommy  _ mad _ . It makes him want to yell at his brother, he should  _ know _ what’s going on but he fucking killed himself, and-   


Deep breaths. 

Right then. 

“There’s just a lot going on,” Tommy says evenly. “I don’t- I don’t want to explain it all. I just wanted to ask you some things about…”   
He hesitates. Wilbur raises his eyebrows, prompting the teenager to keep going.   


“Well, I was thinking about seeking out the Blade, see what he’s been doing. He left New L’Manberg, uh- well, before you showed up as  _ Ghostbur _ , I suppose.”

Wilbur is silent, face completely blank. He just stares at Tommy, hands folded together. Tommy feels nervous - this isn’t like his real brother. The old Wilbur was never empty of anything, he always had some sort of tell. But this hollow, empty version of Tommy’s older brother had too many moments where he just sat and  _ stared _ and you  _ know _ he was just a shell of something that once was, and it unnerved Tommy. 

It makes him uneasy, shifting around in his seat. 

“Technoblade,” Wilbur whispers, distantly. “Yes, I haven’t really seen him at all. What  _ is _ he up to?”   


“Phil says he’s made some home far away from here, in the arctic areas of the map.”   


Wilbur barks out a laugh, suddenly, making Tommy jump. “Oh, he- Yeah, I see what he did there. I see, I see.”   


Tommy nods, carefully watching Wilbur. He’s not quite so hollow anymore, though the ghost was still acting off. Perhaps because of the mention of Technoblade?

Wilbur hums, gaze drifting to the ceiling. His fingers tap his chin as he says, “Why are you asking me about going to seek out Techno, Tommy?”

Tommy blanches, feeling like a dumb little kid. All he wants here was Will’s advice, to be honest. Despite the fact that the man was dead and couldn’t remember for shit, he was still Tommy’s older brother. The teenager just wants guidance, direction to help him out, and he’s trying to get it from the one person he could. After what happened with Dream, there’s no way he was going to ask  _ Tubbo _ . He’d make his intentions more clear to Phil, but despite the man being his father, Phil hadn’t exactly been around much. So that leaves Wilbur, the ghost. 

“Just want to know what you thought about it, if I went to be with Techno instead of here,” Tommy explains, trying to seem collected as he conveniently doesn’t mention any of what he was thinking. 

“I think you should do whatever your heart says you should do,” Wilbur hums in response, smiling softly. “If that means seeking out our brother in the arctic - well, then, so be it!”   


Tommy’s heart feels unexpectedly warmed by his brother’s words. He lets out a chuckle.    


“But what about the others missing me, like Tubbo?” he asks after a moment. 

Wilbur pauses. “If you want them to find you, keep in contact, then just tell them where you go, Tommy. If not…,” he shrugs, “don’t. It’s as simple as that, really.”   


The teenager just nods, now, gaze on the ground. It  _ was _ simple, he supposes. Huh. 

This whole exchange - despite a good bit of it leaving him feeling uneasy and uncomfortable - somehow made Tommy feel better. Maybe it was just having a nice conversation with his brother for the first time in what must be forever. Tommy wasn’t sure, but either way, he thinks he’s happy.    


He stands up after a moment, looking up at Wilbur. “I think I’ll be off, now, gotta head back home- I’m not supposed to be out of the house without Phil, uh, since I got into trouble.”   


Will just snorts, waving his hand in dismissal. “You’re on house arrest? Alright, go off then, child. If you don’t leave here for good, come back to have a visit! It really was nice to see you.”   


Tommy ducks his head down as he grins, going to the doorway to leave. He wouldn’t mind seeing his brother more, he thinks.

“Sure, Will. I promise.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy seeks out his brother - the alive one, this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LMAOOO SO SORRY GUYS I GOT SUPER DISTRACTED BY,YKNOW, THE EXILE. im writing(?) another story actually more based on the exile uhh its called outcasted, but accepting  
> not guaranteed to continue it but 1 chapter for it is up, so.  
> canon does exist to me in this fic <3

Tommy sneaks out again a few nights later. 

This time, he grabs a pre-packed bag - full of food, tools, and an extra change of clothes - and a sword, then an old trench coat.  _ Wilbur’s _ old trench coat. 

He hesitates on grabbing it, unsure if he really should. It isn’t like anyone else has been wearing it, he reasons. And he won’t be seeing Ghostbur for, well, a while, unless he somehow follows Tommy. 

The teen figures that once he leaves, he probably won’t be able to come back. He’s basically exiling himself. Well. Better to do it now, on his own, before it actually happens. Tommy knows, in the back of his head, that Tubbo would end up giving into Dream’s demands, even if Tommy doesn’t want to think about it. 

He shrugs on the trenchcoat, straps his sword to his belt, and slides out of the window with the bag in hand. 

Time to get moving. 

As he makes his way towards the docks, Tommy maps out a plan in his head. Phil had been reluctant to give him information, though for what reason the teen wasn’t entirely sure. What he  _ did _ get out of his father, was that Technoblade had traveled to the north and settled in an arctic biome, and a basic route up there following a river that went into the sea. An arctic biome was pretty ironic - flashes of a frozen kingdom go through Tommy’s head, older memories from years ago, when he was more of a kid. 

Tommy glances around as he unties a boat from the dock, making sure no one was around. Most people would be asleep at this time, of course, but there was usually one or two still awake. Usually Big Q, he reflects, sometimes in tandem with Karl or George, sometimes Sapnap. Luckily, it seems they weren’t anywhere nearby, even if any of them  _ were _ awake. 

Tommy slips into the boat, carefully setting his bag beside him, and sets off. He shifts a bit, letting himself get comfortable. Phil mentioned that the last time he visited Technoblade, it took half a day to get there - so Tommy figures that it’ll be a while. 

* * *

It takes way too fucking long. 

Tommy rows for hours and hours in the ocean, listening to the chirps of the dolphins accompanying him. The sun is rising, already morning, and the blonde teen is exhausted. He really doesn’t want to sleep, he’s worried the boat will drift while he does, so he tries his hardest to stay awake. 

“C’mon, Big Man, can’t be too far,” he mumbles to himself, rubbing his eyes. 

Wait. 

Is that land?   


He squints his eyes and - hell yeah, it is! Tommy can just barely make out a coast, covered in snow with the ocean waves lapping against eyes. He forces himself to row the boat faster, feeling more excited than he had in a while. He was finally here! Hopefully, anyway. Techno’s house is probably farther inland, but at least Tommy  _ knows _ he’s made progress. 

It’s another hour before he gets to the coast and the teen immediately hops out of the boat after slinging his bag over his shoulder. He definitely does not trip and fall on the ice. Definitely not. 

Tommy is grinning, feeling the cold wind against his face, sharp and unrelenting but somehow comforting. He runs a hand through his hair out of habit, and marches on, keeping an eye out for a house. He sees a village he thinks, in the distance, but ignores it. Techno probably isn’t living there, he likes to be alone. 

Tommy’s pace slows, as he thinks about actually seeing his older brother. 

He was still angry at him, that’s true. He’s not sure if he’ll ever be able to forgive Technoblade for all that’s happened. He thinks that’s fair. 

But he misses his brother. He wants to see him. Give him a chance, if - well, so long as Techno wants to see  _ Tommy _ . 

Tommy hopes he does. 

* * *

Tommy is cold, and tired, and really pissed off. 

He had been wandering for a few hours now, still unable to find Technoblade’s house, or any indication of where he might be. It was maddening, and Tommy wanted to start stabbing shit or something. Punch a tree, maybe.

He won’t, because it’ll hurt, but he really wants to.

He tugs the trench coat around him tighter, shivering. It wasn’t nearly thick enough to warm him up, not after hours of trudging through the snow. Fucking hell. 

Tommy stills, though, hearing snow crunching behind him. He can’t place the footsteps, how far they are behind him. He hopes it isn’t someone he doesn’t want to see - Dream, maybe, or his father coming to collect him. He chances a glance, grimacing. 

Holy shit. 

“Technoblade!” Tommy blurts out, mouth dropping open. 

“Tommy,” his brother parrots, frowning. He was a few yards away. “What the hell are you out here for?”   


“Looking for you, big man!” the teen exclaims, turning around fully and grinning. “Can I stay with you?”   


Technoblade stares him at him in silence.

Tommy stares back. His smile drops, and he shifts in place awkwardly.

“... please?” he adds, eventually.

Technoblade sighs, head dropping as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Fine.”   


“Hell yeah!” Tommy laughs, grin sliding back into place like it was never gone. “I’ve been looking for you for hours, I’m all cold and shit.”   


“You’re gonna get hypothermia,” Techno says gruffly, turning away and begins walking. Tommy hurriedly follows him.    


“Don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m too strong to get that shit.”   


“You’re an idiot.”   


“I- hey!” Tommy scowls at him.

Techno glances at him, grinning just slightly. “It’s true.”   


“Is not. I think you’re projecting.”   


“Shut up. Do you want to be left out here instead?”   


Tommy pauses. “... No.”   


“That’s what I thought.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not the best chapter but im tryin my best here   
> might do a techno pov next time! we will see


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy finds out something interesting from Technoblade.

They don’t really talk during the walk to Technoblade’s home. Tommy tries, a few times, but every reply is pretty lackluster. 

“So how’ve you been, big man?” he tries, looking up at his brother. 

Techno grunts in response. 

That was pretty much how every attempt at conversation went. Eventually Tommy just gives up, reluctantly going quiet. 

The absolutely _second_ , though, when Technoblade shoves him through the doorway of his winter home, Tommy whips around to complain and is instead extremely intimidated by his brother’s glowering gaze. The teen backs up, just a little, smiling nervously. 

“What’s with the look, big man?” he asks, trying to keep his voice light. 

“Tell me,” Technoblade says, voice monotone and heavy, “why the hell you came to find me.”

“Well, it’s sort of a long story, actually, Techno-” Tommy chuckles, despite the anxiety growing in his chest. “I’m not here to fuck with you, or anything, big man, I swear!”

“Tommy, you’re my brother, and I love you,” his big brother’s voice is incredibly dry and sarcastic, “but I don’t believe a single word of that.”

“It’s true!” Tommy protests, eyes widening. 

“Then why are you here, actually?”

“Well…” the teen shifts in place, glancing away. “I was probably going to get exiled from L’Manberg, essentially, so…”

“So you thought you’d come to me?” Techno cuts in. 

Tommy just shrugs, shoving his shaking hands into his pockets. Maybe this was a dumb idea. “Well, yeah.”

Technoblade barks out a laugh, suddenly, startling the teen. “Oh, okay- this is ironic, uh, you realize?”

Tommy stares dumbly, having no idea what the man meant.

“I- I predicted this,” Techno explains, with a grin. “Tommy, you set yourself up to be a hero, and look where it got you. Didn’t you listen to that speech I made? I put a lotta work into that, y’know.”

Realization dawns on Tommy and he internally berates himself for a few seconds. How had he momentarily forgotten about that fucking speech? _Of course_ Technoblade was right. He was always right, for fucks sake.

“Yeah, yeah,” the teen grumbles after a moment, “you were right, Techno. Are you gonna brag about it, dickhead?”

Techno just chuckles. “Nah, the stupid look on your face is enough. Doesn’t matter anyway. Gotta let you know that I’m sort of in retirement now, though. Don’t expect any violence outta me.”

“I’m not!” Tommy quickly says. At his brother’s disbelieving glance, he insists, “Really, I’m not! I just.. I don’t really have a plan here, Technoblade. I want, something, I guess but I really don’t know.”

“Just don’t run off impulsively like you’re so good at doing,” Techno just mutters, turning away to look out a window. It was getting dark out. “I don’t trust Dream, or any of them back there, to not just murder you on sight if you go back.”

“Well, but- well Tubbo wouldn’t murder me!”

A pause. A really long pause.

“No, Tommy, he wouldn’t,” Technoblade agrees, and Tommy feels like his brother isn’t saying what he really means. 

* * *

After Technoblade directs him to a place to sleep - just a cot in the basement, there wasn’t exactly another bedroom - Tommy spends a lot of the night just staring up at the ceiling. Thinking.

When he had told his older brother he didn’t know what to do, he wasn’t exactly _lying_. He didn’t have a plan. Not that he ever really did, but it was more than that. At least he had some sort of direction, but right now he honestly just felt lost. 

The discs have to factor in, he decides. They were the reason why he got in trouble in the first place - maybe Techno would help him get them back. Tubbo has still has one, and Tommy is content to let that be for now. They were still friends, after all, even though the teen ran away. Ran away without telling anyone. 

Tommy grimaces. Maybe he should’ve said something to someone, even if just Phil. Well. It’s over with anyway, so he pushes those thoughts out of his head for now. 

He’s pretty sure Skeppy is the one who still has the other disc, though that might as well just mean Dream has it. _That_ is the disc he actually needs to worry about, because even though Skeppy (and Bad, by extension) is the one in possession of it, Dream isn’t going to be happy about him taking it. And God knows how that will end up. He’ll definitely need Techno’s help, even if his ego cringes at the thought of asking for help.

Tommy rolls over onto his side, closing his eyes. Maybe he should at least _try_ to get some sleep. 

* * *

Technoblade pretty much kicks him awake in the morning. 

“Rise and shine, Tommy, it’s a new day.”

The teen grumbles, swatting his brother away and shoving his face into his pillow. “Go away,” he complains, voice muffled. 

“If you’re livin’ with me, you get up early,” Techno informs him with a smug edge in his voice, “so get up before I make you.”

“Fine,” Tommy mutters, rolling onto his back, opening his eyes blearily. 

Technoblade was standing right by the cot, staring down at him, already fully dressed for the day. Tommy just makes a face at him as he sits up, stretching. He’s too tired for this. 

“Hurry up,” Techno says abruptly, turning and beginning to climb up the ladder to the house proper. “I got somethin’ I wanna show you today.”

Tommy sends a few good old swears at his brother’s retreating back, running a hand through his hair. 

Just an hour later, he was stuck in an old coat belonging to his brother, trudging through the snow. He was _way_ too tired for this. 

“Where are you taking me, dickhead?” he asks tiredly, voice not having much of its usual bite. 

“A place,” Techno responds, after a few seconds of hesitation. He glances over his shoulder at the teen. “We’re about there.”

“Are you gonna kill me?” Tommy questions, eyeing the other.

Technoblade just sends him another look, this time with raised eyebrows, and doesn’t say anything. Tommy, decidedly, is not assured by this. He can’t really find it in himself to care, though, as he studies the side of the cliff they stand under now. He vaguely registers Techno flipping some sort of switch nearby and _oh_. 

“What is this?” he asks, now nervous as he watches a huge door begin to slide into the ground. He looks to the side, to his brother, only to be met with a huge grin. 

“Welcome home, Theseus,” Technoblade crows as the door reveals a room filled to the brim with wither skulls, spanning all three walls. 

“Holy shit!” Tommy screams, causing his brother to double over in laughter. 

“Figured you should know about this,” Techno snickers, already a few steps into the room. 

Tommy has a mixture of fear and awe as he follows the other, gazing at the walls with fascinated expression. “This is- oh this is horrible, you know-”

“It’s fine, I swore off violence, remember?” Technoblade waves a hand in dismissal. “Just like to be prepared.”

The teen grimaces. He’s not sure if he really buys that. 

“Yeah, sure,” he mumbles, kicking a chest open and not-so-secretly snooping in it. 

“Stop that,” a hand swats at his head. “Jeez. No respect for other people’s things.”

Tommy just laughs, stepping away from the chest in acquiesce. He surveys the room again, feeling a bit energized now. He still needs to talk to Techno about the discs, and possibly fighting Dream, but if they go after that he has a feeling they will be _just fine_. 

Eyeing the wither skulls, he decides that they will definitely be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> absolutely HAD TO include the bit from today's stream, with that secret wither skull room and the "welcome home, theseus" line, i just couldnt like. not  
> hope yall enjoyed!! there will probably be a more serious discussion next chapter whenever i get to it (been busy lately lmao)


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